Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to products made or derived from tobacco, or that otherwise incorporate tobacco, and are intended for human consumption. In particular, aspects of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses and methods for manufacturing smokeless tobacco products incorporating one or more objects, and, more particularly, to apparatuses and methods for inserting one or more objects into a smokeless tobacco product, such as a snuff product.
Description of Related Art
Cigarettes, cigars and pipes are popular smoking articles that employ tobacco in various forms. Such smoking articles are used by heating or burning tobacco, and aerosol (e.g., smoke) is inhaled by the smoker. Tobacco may be enjoyed in a so-called “smokeless” form. Particularly popular smokeless tobacco products are employed by inserting some form of processed tobacco or tobacco-containing formulation into the mouth of the user. See for example, the types of smokeless tobacco formulations, ingredients, and processing methodologies set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 1,376,586 to Schwartz; U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,917 to Levi; U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,756 to Pittman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,993 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,269 to Story et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,599 to Tibbetts; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,907 to Townsend; U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,352 to Sprinkle, III et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,416 to White et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,839 to Williams; U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,654 to Williams; U.S. Pat. No. 6,953,040 to Atchley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,601 to Atchley et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,694,686 to Breslin et al.; US Pat. Pub. Nos. 2004/0020503 to Williams; 2005/0115580 to Quinter et al.; 2005/0244521 to Strickland et al.; 2006/0191548 to Strickland et al.; 2007/0062549 to Holton, Jr. et al.; 2007/0186941 to Holton, Jr. et al.; 2007/0186942 to Strickland et al.; 2008/0029110 to Dube et al.; 2008/0029116 to Robinson et al.; 2008/0029117 to Mua et al.; 2008/0173317 to Robinson et al.; 2008/0196730 to Engstrom et al.; 2008/0209586 to Neilsen et al.; 2008/0305216 to Crawford et al.; 2009/0065013 to Essen et al.; and 2009/0293889 to Kumar et al.; PCT WO 04/095959 to Arnarp et al.; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/638,394, filed Dec. 15, 2009, to Mua et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Exemplary smokeless tobacco products include CAMEL Snus, CAMEL Orbs, CAMEL Strips and CAMEL Sticks by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; REVEL Mint Tobacco Packs and SKOAL Snus by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company; and MARLBORO Snus and Taboka by Philip Morris USA.
Representative smokeless tobacco products have been marketed under the trade names Oliver Twist by House of Oliver Twist A/S; Copenhagen, Skoal, SkoalDry, Rooster, Red Seal, Husky, and Revel by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co.; “taboka” by Philip Morris USA; and Levi Garrett, Peachy, Taylor's Pride, Kodiak, Hawken Wintergreen, Grizzly, Dental, Kentucky King, Mammoth Cave by Conwood Sales Co., L.P., Interval by Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., and Ariva and Stonewall by Star Scientific, Inc.
One type of smokeless tobacco product is referred to as “snuff.” Snuff typically is formulated in “moist” or “dry” forms. Representative types of snuff products, commonly referred to as “snus,” are manufactured in Europe, particularly in Sweden, by or through companies such as Swedish Match AB, Fiedler & Lundgren AB, Gustavus AB, Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni A/S and Rocker Production AB. Snus products available in the U.S.A. are marketed under the trade names Camel Snus Frost, Camel Snus Original and Camel Snus Spice by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Snus products, such as Camel Snus Original, are commonly supplied in small teabag-like pouches. The pouches are typically a nonwoven fleece material, and contain about 0.4 to 1.5 grams of pasteurized tobacco. These products typically remain in a user's mouth for about 10-30 minutes. Unlike certain other smokeless tobacco products, snus products do not require expectoration by the user.
Some users might desire a smokeless tobacco product that is capable of providing, in some instances, selectively, a variety of different flavors, depending upon the user's immediate desire. The flavor of such a smokeless tobacco product might be selected based on the user's desire for a particular flavor at that time, or a desire to change flavors during use. For example, changing flavors during use may enable a user to end the experience with a breath freshening flavor, such as menthol or spearmint. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a smokeless tobacco product that is capable of providing distinctive, different pleasurable sensory experiences, for a user. Some users might also desire a smokeless tobacco product that is capable of modifying the nature or character of the by-product generated by that smokeless tobacco product.
In this regard, tobacco products can incorporate objects, beads, capsules and capsule components such as those set forth in US Patent Publication Nos. 2006/0272663 to Dube et al., 2006/01330961 to Luan et al., 2006/0144412 to Mishra et al.; 2007/0012327 to Karles et al.; 2007/0068540 to Thomas et al.; and 2008/0029110 to Dube et al.; PCT WO 2006/136197; PCT WO 2006/136199; PCT WO 2007/010407 PCT WO 2007/060543 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,115,085 to Deal; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/760,983 to Stokes et al. and Ser. No. 12/775,892 to Carpenter et al., as well as within filtered cigarettes that have been marketed under the tradenames “Camel Lights with Menthol Boost” and “Camel Crush” by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Exemplary pelletized carrier materials and flavor packages are of the type employed in cigarettes that have been marketed commercially in the USA. For example, flavor-carrying pellets have been incorporated into cigarette filters employed on Camel brand cigarettes under the tradenames Mandalay Lime, Mandarin Mint, Breach Breezer, Back Ally Blend, Snakeyes Scotch, Izmir Stinger, Kauai Kolada, Midnight Madness, Aegean Spice, Screwdriver Slots, Twist, Twista Lime, Dark Mint and Blackjack Gin; Kool brand cigarettes under the tradenames Flow and Groove; and Salem brand cigarettes under the tradename Deep Freeze; all of which have been marketed by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
It would be further desirable to provide a user with the ability to enhance a sensory aspect of his/her smokeless tobacco experience, and the extent or magnitude of that sensory experience, such as can be accomplished by allowing the user to purposefully select a smokeless tobacco product having certain characteristics or behaviors and, in some instances, by allowing the user to determine the magnitude or extent of such characteristics or behaviors that the smokeless tobacco product exhibits. That is, it would be desirable to provide a smokeless tobacco product possessing components that can be employed so as to allow the user to select a smokeless tobacco product based on an indicated character or nature and, in some instances, allow the user to control, whether selectively or not, the nature or character of the by-product produced by that smokeless tobacco product, and the source from which it is obtained. In particular, it would be desirable to provide a smokeless tobacco product that is capable of enhancing the sensory attributes, and the extent or magnitude of such attributes, of the by-product (e.g., by flavoring that by-product). More particularly, it would be desirable to provide the capability of manufacturing such smokeless tobacco products incorporating such flavor agents and sources, and the like, in a rapid, highly-automated fashion. It also would be desirable to provide improved provisions for incorporating product-altering solid objects such as flavor pellets, flavor capsules, flavored or non-flavored strands, or possibly various combinations thereof, into smokeless tobacco products, in a rapid, highly automated fashion.